LAURA INGALLS WILDER .........Growing up the Dakota Girl

I had never heard of the Little House books or Laura Ingalls Wilder so I headed to the library and checked out this book along with several others. I decided to read the book to the class during my regular read aloud time in the afternoon. From the very beginning they were intent on every word and didn't want me to quit reading. I found it difficult to put the book down! I was excited too! I checked out more Little House books and continued reading them every year after that! I soon became known as the "Little House Teacher." As the years went by I added more activity centers in my classroom that were related to the Little House books. I started sharing these activities at teachers' conferences in 1996.

Image Copyright Barb/George Hawkins and Little House Site Tours
Used with permission

In June, 1998, I went on the Laura Ingalls Wilder Study Tour, sponsored by the Educational System in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I had been to Mansfield and De Smet, but none of the other sites, except for Malone in 1998. I have done a lot of traveling in the United States; but nothing compared to that Study Tour. I really wanted to go again and was disappointed when it was dropped. Then I started thinking that if I enjoyed the sites there must be others who had the same desire. I decided to pursue the idea of organizing my own Little House Site Tours Company. In February, 2000, the company was officially organized.

I was also busy doing "Little House in the Elementary Classroom" presentations at teachers' conferences. I had my first presentation in 1996; but it was in 1998 and 1999 when the presentation pace started growing. In the fall of 1998 I developed a slide presentation which visited all the Little House Sites. I kept going back to the sites - taking more pictures, and by 1999 teachers were calling, asking me if they could borrow my slides. Then they started saying, "Make the slides into a video." This happened in 2001.

Image Copyright Barb/George Hawkins and Little House Site Tours
Used with permission

My husband, George, retired in 2002 and started going with me - helping with the driving and many of the tour details.

The van tours have been wonderful. The friendships all of us have made will last a lifetime. People like the daily newsletter which is on the van seat each morning. It outlines our tentative plans for the day, gives some background for the things we will see, and also has pictures from the day before. Everyone has appreciated the wonderful reception we get at every site. The guides and personnel have been so gracious and done extra things for us!

People like the van tours; but why couldn't they bring their children? That's when I thought about trying "caravan tours." People travel in their own or a rented vehicle, take their children if they'd like, and adults can also travel with friends or family. The results: We have been able to take more people to the sites than ever before. Families like having all the planning done, the newsletter that's hanging on their motel room door each morning, swimming pools for the children at every stop, and the wonderful opportunity to travel with other families who are interested in Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Our van tours and caravan tours have brought people from all over the world - including South Wales and Japan.

Image Copyright Barb/George Hawkins and Little House Site Tours
Used with permission

All of our tour participants enjoy putting themselves in "Laura Places." They like sitting at a desk in the replica Brewster School, wading in Plum Creek, standing next to the low kitchen counter at Rocky Ridge Farm, sitting in the church and seeing the original altar in Spring Valley, Minnesota, collecting pebbles from the shore of Lake Pepin, and standing by the cottonwoods at the Homestead Site. Cooking and eating outside was a favorite with Laura as the Ingalls Family traveled by covered wagon. Having a picnic outing has been a favorite time on our tours.

This will be our sixth year for the tours, second year for the caravan tours. One great thing about the tours have been the repeaters on both the van and caravan tours, some going two or three times.

You can purchase Barb's book and DVD from Dakotagirl on Ebay!

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